James Gunn posts emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman on the fourth anniversary of his death
James Gunn remembers Chadwick Boseman on the anniversary of his death. The actor entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a fan-favorite role as T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War. After that, Boseman would go on to lead Black Panther, which became a huge cultural event, and appear in two Avengers films. Sadly, Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, after a private four-year battle with colon cancer.
Taking to Instagram, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn shared an emotional tribute to MCU’s Black Panther Chadwick Boseman on the fourth anniversary of his death.
Gunn posted two photos of Boseman, with the actor dressed as Black Panther and holding a Rocket Raccoon reference prop in the first, and appearing alongside Gunn and the actor in Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt, while Gunn holds an award in the second. Boseman was a part of some of the MCU’s best films, and the actor’s impact on the franchise as Black Panther will continue to be felt in future MCU films.
How Chadwick Boseman’s legacy as Black Panther lives on in the MCU
Following Boseman’s tragic passing, Marvel Studios decided not to re-employ T’Challa. Instead, the character had an emotional off-screen death at the beginning of Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverT’Challa’s death heavily influenced the plot and characters’ emotions for the rest of the film. Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, was chosen to be the MCU’s new Black Panther. After overcoming her grief, Shuri was able to defeat Namor and save Wakanda.
Shuri might not be the only Black Panther in the MCU going forward. The reason for that is that the mid-credits scene of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced his perfect replacement for the MCU. Shuri discovered that T’Challa had a son with Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Toussaint. The young man was hidden from the world, as T’Challa and Nakia did not believe it should be revealed yet. Toussaint is his Haitian name, and his Wakandan name is T’Challa, like his father.
Marvel can now recast T’Challa without having to recast Boseman’s character. Through time travel or some other plot that causes him to age, Toussaint/T’Challa could become the MCU’s Black Panther in a future film. This way, the MCU could essentially explore all of the adventures T’Challa could still have in the shared universe while keeping Chadwick Boseman’s version of the character intact. Better yet, he would be a direct influence on the new T’Challa and would always be remembered by the hero.
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